March 1990 Central United States tornado outbreak
Map of confirmed tornadoes in the outbreak
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| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | March 11–13, 1990 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 64 confirmed |
| Max rating1 | F5 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 2 days, 5 hours |
| Damage | $543.408 million |
| Casualties | 2 deaths, 89 injuries |
| Areas affected | Midwestern United States, United States Great Plains |
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1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado |
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1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale
The March 1990 Central United States tornado outbreak affected portions of the United States Great Plains and Midwest regions from Iowa to Texas from March 11 to March 13, 1990. The outbreak produced at least 64 tornadoes across the region, including four violent tornadoes; two tornadoes, which touched down north and west of Wichita, Kansas, were both rated F5, including the tornado that struck Hesston. In Nebraska, several strong tornadoes touched down across the southern and central portion of the state, including an F4 that traveled for 131 miles (211 km). Two people were killed in the outbreak, one apiece by the two F5s in Kansas.
The Central United States tornado outbreak of March 13, 1990, was one of the most violent outbreaks ever documented in March (second only to the Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1920 in terms of violent tornadoes and the March 2006 Tornado Outbreak Sequence in terms of the total number of tornadoes reported). Numerous tornadoes touched down across Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Iowa. Two tornadic thunderstorms with exceptional life spans/tornado families were observed, one of which produced an F4 tornado in eastern Nebraska that was on the ground for over 100 miles (160 km). The other produced an extensive tornado family in southern Kansas that included two F5 tornadoes. The first of these struck the town of Hesston, Kansas, and was one of the most photographed and documented violent tornadoes in history.
(based on NOAA Storm Data)
The tornadoes that struck Hesston and Goessel were both spawned by the same supercell thunderstorm. They were part of what is known as a tornado family; a family that included several additional touchdowns after the Goessel storm dissipated.
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